Chapter 37

Zhang Da’s nearly roaring voice echoed between the teaching buildings.

Lin Mo silently cursed, his feet instinctively moving.

The sound came from the training platform outside the cultivation room—he hurried toward it.

Sure enough, after quickly turning two teaching buildings, he saw a familiar scene in the familiar place.

Many students surrounded the platform, and everyone on it were his classmates.

Ye Chen stood atop the platform, looking down at Zhang Da lying on the ground, and said coldly: “Unwilling to submit? Then I’ll beat you until you do!”

Zhang Da’s broad face was swollen into a pig’s head, and several male classmates beside him also bore various injuries.

Yet their expressions were timid, their bodies leaning back toward the platform’s edge—only Zhang Da held his head high and shouted:

“Go ahead and kill me, I’ll never submit to you! Fuck your ancestors, you big bully, ugly bastard, fucking piece of trash, don’t even worth burning incense for, you dog-faced thief, wasting your life’s essence…”

He launched straight into a Sichuanese single-rhyme skr~!

Ye Chen’s face turned green with rage, yet he had no retort.

He wasn’t a native Sichuanese—he’d moved here with his parents and entered Nanshan No. 4 High as a transfer student.

After three years in Sichuan, even if he were dumb, he understood Zhang Da’s slurs—his face grew darker by the second.

Lin Mo had been angry, but now hearing this beautiful Sichuanese, his anger melted by half.

Glancing at Zhang Da’s injuries, he thought: this mouth of his made the beating worth it.

But Ye Chen’s heart was awfully petty.

Zhang Da was trash—his mouth spewed filth, making anyone want to hit him.

But the other boys clearly had been targeted on purpose—they were all familiar faces, the “buddies” who’d copied texts in Old Li’s office not long ago.

When Ye Chen had said “Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west,” everyone had laughed—and now he was still holding this grudge.

Ye Chen’s face darkened, coldly saying: “This is your own doing!”

Before the words were out, he lunged forward, fist clenched, smashing toward Zhang Da.

Something’s wrong!

Lin Mo silently cursed, his body moving instinctively.

Kuixing Stake, Step Twelve—Kuishou Tread.

His motion flowed like clouds—he appeared before Zhang Da in an instant, hand outstretched to block Ye Chen’s punch—

“Slap!”

Lin Mo met fist with palm, absorbing Ye Chen’s furious strike full-force, stepping back one pace, his blood and qi churning violently.

“Ugh~!”

He instinctively clutched his chest, gasping for breath.

This guy was so enraged he’d lost control.

He was Qi Refining Level 7; Zhang Da was only Level 2—their physical strength was worlds apart, not even comparable.

One punch like that, Zhang Da wouldn’t just suffer a concussion—he’d break several ribs. If it landed slightly off, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Is this really necessary between classmates?

Lin Mo lifted his head, eyes flickering with irritation toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen’s face first showed shock, then surprise—as if bewildered Lin Mo could block his punch.

Even without any technique or spell, just a plain punch—the gap was so vast, the other shouldn’t have reacted so lightly.

He narrowed his eyes: “You actually caught it...”

“Are you mentally ill?”

Lin Mo cut him off, irritable: “Do you know this punch might make him miss the Imperial Exam?”

Ye Chen snorted dismissively: “Our cultivation is about challenging Heaven, challenging men...”

“Challenge a marketplace? He’s not an Immortal Exam candidate!”

Lin Mo cut him off again—this guy was having another episode.

Besides, even if you wanted to teach Zhang Da a lesson, it shouldn’t be you doing it!

You’re not his dad—I am... he mentally grumbled.

Ye Chen frowned, realizing his philosophy didn’t apply to Zhang Da, so he dropped the argument:

“If you want to defend him, come together—today, how many of you there are, I’ll beat them all.”

“If you lose, kneel down and kowtow—that’ll be your lesson, so you’ll behave properly when you enter society!”

His words were utterly imposing—many spectators cheered.

“So cool, Brother Ye! No wonder he’s the Fate-Selected!”

“Mighty and imposing! Brother Ye, fierce!!”

“Hey, over there—whoever you are, don’t chicken out! Come on!”

“Hah, you think he’ll move? Bet he peed his pants.”

“Just kowtow already—it’s not shameful, haha.”

“...”

A familiar scene... Lin Mo had once been one of the spectators.

He never imagined one day he’d be here, turned into a joke by these crowd-egging spectators, just like Zhu Hongyuan before him.

Yet among the crowd, some troublemakers seemed to have recognized his handsome face.

Lin Mo sighed inwardly—being too handsome really did invite envy.

If that’s the case...

He lifted his head, smiling lightly at Ye Chen: “Heh. You think I need a crowd to beat you? One person’s enough!”

Behind him, Zhang Da, who’d just gotten up, tugged his sleeve: “Mozi, isn’t that too few? I’m already broken—I can’t help...”

Glancing at the teammates who’d been hiding since the start, he glared at them in frustration, lowering his voice:

“Maybe we should just...”

Then his face flushed red: “No, you go. I’ll take a few more punches—it’s fine if I lie in the hospital for days, but you’re taking the Immortal Exam soon—you can’t risk...”

“No need. Stand aside.”

Lin Mo waved him off impatiently.

Ye Chen looked at him, sneering:

“Want to fight me alone? You? I suggest you call more people—don’t want people saying I’m bullying the weak.”

Aren’t you already bullying the weak?

Lin Mo chuckled inwardly—such a vast cultivation gap meant even all of them together couldn’t defeat Ye Chen.

But since you love playing the “hero,” I’ll play the “villain” perfectly.

Lin Mo lifted his chin, hands on hips: “Wait for me—I’m calling reinforcements!”

He pulled out his spirit device and sent a message.

Ye Chen wore an “I knew it” expression, then sneered: “Fine. I’ll wait for your reinforcements.”

But he added immediately: “This is school, so only students can fight on the platform.”

You’re being cautious... Lin Mo mentally grumbled, then smiled sweetly at him:

“Don’t worry—it’s from our school, and only one person will step up.”

Seeing his confident look, Ye Chen frowned slightly, then suddenly remembered something—his heart tightened.

It shouldn’t... be possible, right?

A few minutes later, as the crowd grew larger and more impatient, a splash of crimson suddenly appeared in the spectators’ vision, drawing every eye.